Unexpected Golfer Attempts To Qualify For U.S. Open

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Well, that didn’t take long. Tony Romo is already bored with retirement.

For the last two decades, Romo has been fueled by competition as a high school, college, and professional football player.

Being a husband and father to two young kids is undoubtedly rewarding, but it doesn’t get the competitive juices flowing like high-stakes athletics does. That’s why Romo is attempting something unbelievable.

Romo is taking his talents to the links. He’s always been an avid golfer and his professional career was close to taking a different path. Recounting a time when his roster spot was tenuous, Romo said:

“That’s when I sat in bed and I just prayed to the Lord, and this was a very defining moment for me. I was like, ‘If I’m not meant to be the quarterback here or play quarterback in the NFL, that’s fine. Then I’m going to go back and be a really good assistant golf club professional back in Burlington, Wisconsin.’”

Now Romo’s career could be coming full circle.

From ESPN:

Tony Romo’s next pursuit of a championship will be in golf.

And it’s a long shot.

A month after Romo retired, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback is among nearly 9,500 players who signed up for the U.S. Open. He plays an 18-hole local qualifier Monday at Split Rail Links and Golf Club about 30 minutes west of Fort Worth.

If he advances, the next step is sectional qualifying on June 5 to get into the U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin.

This isn’t the first time Romo has tried to qualify. He made it out of local qualifying in 2010. In a 36-hole sectional qualifier in which only two of the 35 players advanced, Romo opened with a 71 and withdrew in the afternoon after two weather delays.

Orville Moody in 1969 was the last player to go through local qualifying and win the U.S. Open…

Romo recently retired to become a CBS game analyst, and Raymond said he thinks Romo will be a better TV commentator than any ex-player — even fellow ex-Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman.

If Romo qualifies as a professional from a different sport, it wouldn’t be unprecedented, but definitely rare.

From PGAtour.com:

The United States Golf Association said Romo would’ve become the fourth athlete from a professional team sport to qualify for the U.S. Open. He was trying to join a group that includes former San Francisco 49ers quarterback John Brodie (1959, ’81), former New York Yankees outfielder Sam Byrd (1938-41, 46-47, 1949-51) and former NHL player Bill Ezinicki (1947, ’52, ’56, ’60-61, 63-64, 67-68).

NFL kickers Ryan Longwell and Josh Scobee and former major-league pitcher John Smoltz failed to advance out of local qualifying this year…Former NHL goalkeeper Grant Fuhr, retired tennis players Ivan Lendl and Michael Chang and former Miami tight end Brian Kinchen have also fallen short in qualifying in recent years.

Romo will likely stick with the broadcasting job for a while because it allows him to be around the game he loves, but don’t be surprised if Romo spends a lot more time on the golf course, even by retirement standards.